


Nurses Call the Shots

by beggar_always



Category: Leverage
Genre: Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-02
Updated: 2011-08-02
Packaged: 2017-10-22 03:44:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/233382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beggar_always/pseuds/beggar_always
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Episode Tag for 4x06 - The Carnival Job. In which Nurse Gail is an old friend and Eliot should really listen to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nurses Call the Shots

**Author's Note:**

> So of all the things that happened in The Carnival Job _this_ is what my brain decided to write. I don't know why, but it honestly felt OOC to watch an injured Eliot go off with a "hot chick". Not that I think he's a monk or anything, I just feel like he's a bit too professional to go off for a lay when he's obviously hurt. Plus, I just wanted a bit more comfort for the episode. Not that this is really all that much of a comfort fic...but it's definitely more comfort than we got out of the episode.
> 
> Written in an afternoon without a beta. It's meant to be gen, but you could probably read some pre-Eliot/Hardison in it if you really wanted.

Eliot looked up as Gail walked in. She looked pissed and, judging by her attire, he really had been interrupting something when he’d called. Eliot got to his feet as quickly as he could manage and wrapped an arm around her to keep her from launching into one of her tirades in front of the rest of the crew. The last thing he wanted was for them to see him take a physical lashing _and_ a verbal one all in the same day. He caught the way she rolled her eyes even as she turned to get him out of the bar.

As soon as they were out the door, Eliot couldn’t help but sag a bit against his old friend. She sighed loudly, but took on the extra weight like the former soldier she was. “Why are men such idiots?” she muttered under her breath. Eliot ignored the question, steering her instead for the next door over. “You live above the bar? Seriously?”

“I have a place outside the city,” Eliot grunted as they stumbled toward the elevator. “Just figured you didn’t want me to drag you all the way out there.”

“Damn right! I was supposed to get _laid_ tonight, Spencer! Third date sex!”

Eliot raised an eyebrow and asked, “Isn’t there some joke about lesbians taking suitcases with them on their first date?” He groaned as she smacked his shoulder, even if she had smacked the less bruised one.

“You are so lucky I know you’re actually a good guy,” she grumbled.

Gail dumped Eliot into one of the kitchen chairs as soon as they got into his condo. It was a bit smaller than Nate’s and a hell of a lot smaller than Hardison’s, but it served its purpose well enough as a place for Eliot to regroup and tend whatever wounds he received. Gail wasted no time appreciating any of Eliot’s decorating skills and instead asked, “Where’s your kit?”

Gail would always be Eliot’s first choice for this kind of thing. She didn’t give a shit about hearing whatever stories he could make up about his injuries and her only lectures ever came from the bad timing of his phone calls. She’d seen Eliot at his worst; a few bruises barely fazed her.

“So which one were you trying to impress?” she asked as she re-wrapped his sprained wrist. Eliot let out a growl of annoyance and Gail barely rolled her eyes. “All of them, then? Still trying to make people think you’re invincible?” So apparently Gail was making an exception on the lecture front. She’s known him long enough, Eliot figured she had the right.

The nurse sighed and sat back in her chair. “No more fights for at least a week,” she ordered. “Two, if you can stand the withdrawal.” She smirked at Eliot’s glare. “Ribs don’t feel busted, but there are a few that are almost definitely cracked.” She gave him one of her assessing looks that had nothing to do with checking for physical injury.

“What do I owe ya?” Eliot grunted, avoiding her gaze. He focused instead on the darkening bruises across his bare chest.

Gail sighed again and started repacking his med kit. “Dinner; someplace nice,” she said. “I think you should have to wear a tie.” Eliot groaned even as he hid a smile. He owed Gail about a hundred nice dinners - she never actually set up a date for them. “This place have a guest room?” Eliot looked at the nurse in confusion. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the concussion?”

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Eliot growled.

Gail raised an eyebrow as she stood. “You really wanna argue with me right now? I’ll kick your ass in heels if I have to.”

Eliot couldn’t help the hiss of pain as she pulled him to his feet. Gail found the master bedroom easily enough and all but shoved him onto the bed. He thought about protesting when she knelt to untie his boots for him, but he didn’t really think it’d be a good idea for him to bend over just then, anyway. Gail all but tucked him into bed and Eliot found he was just too tired to care all that much, even when she shoved a pillow under his arm to keep it elevated. It’d been awhile since he’d had a fight take so much out of him.

“Guest room’s two doors down on the right,” he told her as he let his eyes slip closed. He chose to ignore the brush of her fingers lightly across his hair.

“See you in a couple hours,” she murmured, sounding far too eager at the prospect of disturbing his slumber.

\---

Gail was almost disturbingly professional throughout the night, asking him the standard questions each time she woke him and then letting him get back to sleep without too much hassle. When Eliot woke on his own, sunlight streaming in through his bedroom window, he thought he might actually offer to take her to dinner without further prompting on her part. Maybe he’d cook for her.

As he slid carefully to the edge of his bed, he heard voices coming from the living room. He groaned to himself as he realized Gail was having a chat with Hardison. No good thing could come of those two meeting...

Eliot shuffled out of the room only to freeze at the entrance to the living room. Gail was leaning artfully against the bar, wrapped up in a too-small towel that definitely showcased the length of her legs. Hardison was obviously entranced from where he was perched on the sofa. Gail caught sight of Eliot and grinned, an all too familiar glint of mischief in her eyes.

“Hey baby,” she practically purred as she pushed off the bar to cross the room and stand in front of him. He wasn’t all that surprised when she leaned in to kiss him. “Lemme go find my clothes and then you can give me a ride home.” Gail gave him an exaggerated wink, out of sight of Hardison, before she sashayed out of the room.

“Damn, man,” Hardison said softly as they watched her walk out of the room. “You have got to tell me what kind of hospital has nurses like that!” His wistful expression fell when his gaze shifted to focus on Eliot. “Hell...” he muttered.

“What are you doing here, Hardison?” Eliot cut in before the hacker could say anything about the bruises he was staring at. Hardison finally lifted his gaze to meet Eliot’s.

“Saw you crashed here last night,” Hardison said, waving his smart phone in Eliot’s direction. Eliot guessed it was supposed to mean something hi-techy had something to do with Hardison’s knowledge, but his head still hurt enough he didn’t really feel like trying to figure the gesture out. “Thought I’d check in on you,” the other man went on. “Nurse Gail let me in.” Hardison stood, sweeping another look over Eliot. “Take her all night to tend your wounds?”

“She was very thorough,” Eliot agreed with a smirk.

“Riiiiight. Well I guess I’ll let y’all get back to your check-up. Nate said to tell you we’re taking a few days off. You hanging around here?”

“Nah. Gotta take the nurse back to the hospital; then I’ll head out to the house.”

Hardison seemed to hesitate for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something. Eventually, the younger man shook his head a bit and turned for the door. “Whatever, man. I’ll give ya a call when Nate wants us back in.”

Gail came back in the room just as Hardison exited and handed Eliot one of his button-up shirts.

“A towel?” Eliot asked as he carefully pulled the shirt on.

Gail shrugged. “I really did use your shower,” she said. “It’s not my fault he knocked just as I was getting out.” Eliot resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he grabbed his keys from the jacket he’d left draped over a chair. “He was worried about you.”

Eliot glanced at her over his shoulder. “Did you assure him of your abilities as a medical care professional?”

Gail rolled her eyes and led the way to the door. “Would it be such a bad thing to admit that there are people out there who show concern when you take a beating?” They stared at each other for a moment before they walked out of the condo and made their way to the elevator. “You really should start letting them know when you need a hand,” Gail commented on the way down. “What if I don’t answer next time you call?”

“I know other nurses,” Eliot grunted.

Gail scoffed as they got to his car. “Sure ya do,” she said. They paused, staring at each other over the roof of the vehicle. “Just...it seems like you’ve been running around with these guys long enough they should be able to handle it when you need a little help. Judging from my little chat with Alec, they’re not going to drop you just because you need someone to put a couple stitches in your hand.”

Eliot lifted his good hand to run it through his hair. His ribs protested the movement, but he forced himself to ignore the discomfort. Gail had a point; they pulled too many away jobs for Eliot not to put a little trust in his team. “I’ll keep it in mind,” he agreed. Ignoring Gail’s smug look he went on to ask, “If I promise to take you to dinner next week, will you get in the damn car already?”

Gail laughed and opened her door. “Hate to tell ya, Spencer, but the place I have in mind is booked _months_ in advance.”

Eliot smirked as he started the car. Lucky for him, he knew just the hacker to get around a simple reservation list. “Next week,” he insisted.

/end


End file.
